


Speed Dating is Murder

by AVegetarianCannibal



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: AU, First Dates, Fluff, Hannibal AU, Hannigram - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-17
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-27 05:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6271051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AVegetarianCannibal/pseuds/AVegetarianCannibal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will Graham tries to meet guys through speed dating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Speed Dating is Murder

Will pinned his ID number to the lapel of his jacket and argued with himself over whether or not he should wear glasses. He felt more comfortable with them on, for the thin barrier they afforded against the scrutiny of others, but leaving them off would leave open the opportunity to put them on later when he needed something to do with his hands. The first round hadn't even started yet and he was already overthinking things. No wonder traditional dating never worked for him.

A young woman explained the rules to everyone in the room. Basically it boiled down to "don't be a creepy weirdo" and "don't give out your name yet."

"And just remember," she said brightly, "no matter how badly your date goes, it only lasts five minutes!"

*************

Will sat down across from a guy wearing a shirt so tight it had to be cutting off the circulation to his nipples. "I'm..." he glanced down at his ID. "Apparently I'm number Eight."

"Fourteen," the guy said. "Pretty obvious from the tags, though."

"Ah, yes. Forgive me, this is my first time and I'm a bit nervous."

Fourteen narrowed his eyes at him. "Shy boy, eh? I could work with that. You're not too bad-looking."

Will couldn't help but laugh. "Damned with faint praise on my first 'date' of the night," he said. "Knew I should have gotten a haircut before."

"You look like a teacher," Fourteen said.

"I am, in fact, a teacher," Will said. "I'm teaching forensic--"

Fourteen waved his hand, cutting him off. "Yeah, I'm sure that's interesting. What's your favorite music to work out to? I'm into EDM. It keeps me pumped up."

"I like The Doors," Will said.

"Never heard of 'em."

Will counted down the seconds until the "date" was over.

***************

"I'm Eleven," the next guy introduced himself.

Will gave him a quick look over: skinny, pink-cheeked, big shiny green eyes, a mouth full of braces. "You... don't much look older than that."

Eleven laughed. "Oh, I'm actually 19! Just turned 19 two weeks ago. I'm not a virgin, though, if that's what bothers you."

Will fought hard against the urge to glance at his watch. "It was more the fact that I'm twice your age," Will said. "I feel like I should be giving you advice on how to cross the street by yourself."

"Well, I like them older," Eleven said. He leaned across the small table and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I could call you...  _Daddy_."

Will fumbled for his glasses.

**************

Over the course of the next half-hour, Will came to really, really regret telling Beverly he might be open to dating guys. Before he knew what was happening, she had signed him up for this speed dating group that she swore had the best online reviews. "Hardly anybody who signs up there turns out to be a murderer!" she'd gushed. Talk about damning with faint praise. But he'd figured if he did it, it would at least give him a taste of what the dating world offered, and if he'd been right all these years to avoid anything so social, and it would get Bev off his back, too.

He was surer than ever that he'd been right to shy away from dating of any kind.

He didn't even look up when the next guy sat down across from him.

"You have the look of a man who's questioning his life choices," the guy said, extending his hand. "I'm a randomly chosen number, and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

Will chuckled and shook the offered hand. " _Oh_ ," he said when he finally looked up.

He found himself looking at easily the handsomest man he could remember ever meeting. It was frankly a little ridiculous how handsome he was, Will thought. Chestnut hair just going silver in places, combed back from what some might have called severe features. Those cheekbones could cut glass, Will was sure. But there was a mischievous glint in his honey-colored eyes and a warmth in the quirk of his lips that softened his appearance.

"I hope that was a good 'oh,' and not a bad one," the stranger said.

"Oh! Oh, no, it--it's a good one," Will rushed to say. Only now did he glance down at the number pinned to the man's lapel. "Please to meet you, too, Number Sixteen."

Sixteen made a big show of sighing with relief. "I'm certainly glad to hear it. After the last few 'dates' I've had, I couldn't be too sure."

"One guy said I looked like a Muppet," Will confided. "So far, the biggest compliment I've gotten is that I'm not _too_ bad-looking.  Which means, I guess, that I _am_ bad-looking, but not hopelessly so if you keep the lights down low enough."

"The manners of some here are as poor as their eyesight," Sixteen said. "I would have left earlier, but I could see that I was slated to meet you after a few more turns."

"On the one hand I'm flattered," Will said, "but on the other hand, I'm sorry you had to wait."

"You were worth it," Sixteen said. "I would have waited much longer."

Will felt the heat rise in his cheeks and was thankful for the room's dim lighting. He also became aware that he and Sixteen were still touching their fingertips together in a remnant of their earlier handshake. Neither of them moved to separate.

"I'm a teacher," Will said, getting it out of the way. "That probably sounds boring--"

 "Not at all," Sixteen said. "I envy anyone who would be allowed to spend his or her day listening to you."

Will had to admit that was a good line. A really good line. And yet, he sounded sincere. Or maybe Will just hoped he was. All he knew for sure was that he was breaking his own long-held taboo about looking too long at anyone's eyes. He had no interest in looking away, as a matter of fact.

"I know we're not supposed to give out our names," Will started. "If people just gave each other personal info, the agency wouldn't make all their money."

"I'll give you a hint," Sixteen said. He leaned across the table as if sharing a secret. "It rhymes with 'cannibal.'"

Will nearly barked with laughter. "Please tell me it's Hannibal, and not Dannibal or Bannibal or something like that."

The event's hostess swept through the room just then, reminding everyone that their five minutes were up. It was time to move on to their next dates.

"I really don't wanna meet anyone else tonight," Will confessed.

"Nor I," rhymes-with-cannibal said. He gave Will the subtlest of winks. "Look how much we have in common already."

They stood in unison and headed for the door, dodging the hostess before she could intercept them. They emerged outside, both laughing in the chill of the evening. Standing together under a streetlamp, Will could see now that what he'd guessed handsome was even more so in better lighting. He would be downright stunning in the morning light, around breakfast. Will flushed hotly just thinking about it. This was a perfect stranger. He knew nothing about this man aside from how to use it in rhyming poetry. He could be anybody or anything.

"I just need to know one thing," Will said, already lacing their fingers together. "How do you feel about dogs?"


End file.
